Rain
by Damaged Ghost of an Angel
Summary: A rainy day provokes a play day for a little boy and his big brother.
1. Chapter 1

Rain

I was talking to my friend about the fact that it was raining and she mentioned that her little brother had been playing in a rain puddle the other day and I got this idea. So. . . here it is!! Enjoy!!

&

BOOM!! The burst of thunder tore through the silence of the summer afternoon. The small redheaded boy sitting in the middle of the room dashed behind the couch, scattering the blocks he had been playing with, hiding in the small space between the couch and wall. Kankuro stood from where he was sitting, flipping off the TV. He looked behind the couch, staring down at his little brother, who was biting the ear of the teddy bear that was clutched tightly in both his arms, his strange eyes wide and pale. Kankuro took a deep breath, trying to quell the slight fear that hit him when he saw the small child. _ He's just a little boy. . . what can he do to me? _He held out his hand with a smile. "Come here, Gaara. It's not that bad."

Gaara sniffed a bit, dragging the back of his hand over his eyes, wiping the tears off. "Scary. . ."

Kankuro broadened his smile, kneeling down. "I know. It is scary. Come here and I'll help you."

The four-year-old child placed his tiny hand in his brother's larger hand, letting Kankuro pull him from behind the couch. He stared out the window at the rain that was pouring from the sky. Rain in the desert was a rare occurance, so it didn't surprise Kankuro that Gaara had started so badly when the thunder had first sounded. "Scary?"

"No. See, it's raining."

"Rain?"

"Yeah. Rain. The boom you heard earlier was thunder."

"Thunder?"

Kankuro chuckled a bit at the little boy, sitting down, lifting his brother into his lap. Gaara looked up at him, the tears drying on his face. "Thunder is when the air is rent in two."

Gaara just looked confused. Kankuro sighed a bit, exasperated at his lack of being able to tell the child what was going on. "Play in it?"

"Sure. We can go and play in the rain." Kankuro replied with a grin. "Go get in some warmer clothes, ok?"

Gaara nodded, then slipped off his lap, running off, his teddy bear bouncing along behind him.

Kankuro grinned as he watched the boy disappear. His father had left with Temari, leaving Kankuro in control of the house and Gaara. He was worried at first, knowing the evil that was housed in his baby brother, but he was starting to actually like the little boy. His father had warned him about Gaara falling asleep, so he was careful to make sure the child didn't fall asleep. Gaara appeared from the back, dressed in the warm clothes that he would wear when they went north. "Ready?"

"Yeah!!" Gaara ran to the door, tugging it open.

"Leave teddy inside. You don't want him to get wet do you?" Kankuro asked. Gaara shook his head, putting the teddy bear back inside. Kankuro laughed as Gaara ran out into the rain, looking up, getting thoroughly soaked. He dropped into a puddle, splashing around it in, laughing. _Wow. . . I don't think I've ever seen him laugh before. Then again. . . I've never spent much time with him._

"Brother!!" Gaara called. "Come play!"

Kankuro laughed, walking to where Gaara was sitting playing. Once they were both througly soaked to the bone, Kankuro lifted Gaara, carrying the little boy inside. "Come on, let's get you dried off."

"Ok!"

Kankuro carried Gaara into his room, setting the boy on the floor. Gaara stood there, dripping all over the floor, starting to shiver. Kankuro grabbed a clean, dry set of clothing, then led his little brother into the batroom. "Dry off."

Gaara struggled to pull the wet clothes off, but they stuck to his skin and he just ended up getting tangled in them. "Stuck."

"I'll help." Kankuro helped Gaara out of the sopping clothes, dropping them in the bathtub, wrapping Gaara in a towel. He stuck his head out of the top, his reddish brown hair messy, a grin on his face. Kankuro laughed, helping Gaara dry off, then get dressed. "Stay here, ok?"

"I want to follow."

Kankuro smiled, then walked into his bedroom, Gaara following him. He dried off, then changed into dry clothes, leading Gaara back into the main room. He dropped down onto the couch, flipping on the TV. Gaara grabbed his teddy bear, then crawled onto Kankuro's lap, curling up, sucking on his teddy bear's ear, his eyes drooping. Kankuro watched Gaara carefully. The boy was breathing deeply, resting, but not fully asleep. Kankuro smiled, then turned back to the TV. A few hours later, his father and uncle returned, his uncle taking Gaara from him. "Hey!"

Gaara moaned a complaint as he was pulled from his brother's arms. "No. . ."

"He's not supposted to be out. Why is he in here?"

"I wanted to watch TV and you told me to watch him, so I moved him in here."

Gaara reached out for Kankuro, sniffing as a tear trickled down his face. "Brother. . ."

His uncle Yashamaru shook his head, carrying Gaara back to his room.

Kankuro watched him as he went, smiling at Gaara, who was looking over Yashamaru's shoulder, tears running down his face as he cried. He felt bad for his little brother, knowing he would once again be locked away from human contact, left where noone could touch him. Kankuro sighed, but smiled a bit, knowing he would always cherish the few hours he had with his little brother, Gaara, just plain Gaara, no monsters, no evil, just a little boy longing for company.

&

There ya'll go!! I really hope you liked it! This is my first NAruto fan fic, so. . . yeah. If you liked, please review for me!! And I was thinking that I might add more chapters to this, maybe one with Gaara's POV. If you think I should do that, tell me in a review. Thanks for reading!!


	2. Chapter 2

Rain Chapter Two

Rain Chapter Two

I had fun writing this. . . I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Read chapter one

&

A soft patter filled the room where a young boy sat next to the window, the silence only broken by the occasional crack of thunder. The redheaded boy jumped a bit each time the thunder sounded, but other than that he was motionless. Gaara leaned his forehead against the window of his room, looking out over the land. It was raining again, turning the yellow world of sand grey. The cold glass felt good against his hot forehead. He sighed, shutting his eyes. His mind wandered to a time long past and a small grin crossed his face as he remembered the first time he had heard thunder. He had be so startled that he ran behind the couch, only to be coaxed out by Kankuro, who had proceeded to play outside in the rain with him. His grin grew as he remembered that. He stood, grabbing an umbrella, stepping outside, listening to the rain patter on his umbrella. He set his umbrella down, lifting his face to the rain, letting the icy water wash his face off. Gaara heard the front door of his house open and he half-turned, looking behind him. Kankuro walked out, opening an umbrella. He looked up as he raised the umbrella above his head, catching sight of Gaara standing in the rain, water running down his reddish brown hair, dripping into his face. Kankuro froze, his eyes widening slightly. Gaara sighed to himself, wishing that his brother was not afraid of him. "It's raining, Kankuro."

"I see that, Gaara." Kankuro stepped off the porch with a small smile, his umbrella keeping him dry. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Gaara shrugged, turning back to the rain soaked landscape. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to train."

"Oh." Gaara grew silent once more. Kankuro started walking and he took a deep breath, starting to speak. "Do you remember when I first heard thunder?"

"I remember." Kankuro laughed at his ten-year-old brother. "I thought that you were going to jump out of your skin."

Gaara laughed a bit, looking down. "You bribed me out from behind the couch and we went outside and played."

"That was fun."

"It was. I'd never had that kind of fun before." Gaara looked up, grinning at his brother. "Thank you for playing with me that day."

Kankuro grinned. "Sure. Maybe after I'm done training, we can. . . I don't know. Do something."

"That would be nice."

"We'll see later." Kankuro waved, walking off into the rain. Before he disappeared in the sheets of rain, he turned, glancing over his shoulder at Gaara. "Use your umbrella. You're getting really wet."

Gaara laughed, raising the umbrella, waving to his brother, who waved over his shoulder. Gaara watched him disappear into the rain, then he turned and walked back to the porch, shivering a bit, shaking the water off. He walked back inside, grinning a bit. He walked into his room, stripping off his wet clothes. Another grin crossed his face while he remembered getting quite tangled in his clothes the last time he played in the rain. He turned on the shower, stepping in the hot water, enjoying the feel of it on his skin. He loved the way water felt on his skin, soft and gentle, not at all like sand, which was coarse and hard. The hot water rained down on him, making him imagine that it was washing the stains from him. When his fingers started to wrinkle, he stepped out of the shower, drying off, dressing in a plain black kimono. He looked at his reflection in the foggy mirror. Sky blue eyes stared back at him, nearly covered with dripping reddish brown bangs. He shoved his hair out of his face, revealing the red tattoo of 'love' on his forehead. He ran his fingers over it, remembering when he gave it to himself. He had made it with his sand and it had hurt, but he didn't care. He frowned a bit, knowing that Kankuro wouldn't come talk to him when he came back, but he was used to it now. He rubbed the towel over his head, drying his hair, letting it spike messily. He tossed the towel into his basket, walking back into his bedroom. He picked up the book he was reading, disappearing into the story. Gaara enjoyed the silence, broken only by the softly pattering rain and occasional burst of thunder.

"Hey Gaara, are you hungry?" Kankuro's voice came from the doorway, startling Gaara badly.

Gaara dropped his book, looking up. His older brother stood in the doorway, face clean of the mask he wore, dressed in a dark green kimono, tied at the waist with a white rope. Without his makeup and outfit, Gaara could see the resemblance between the two of them. Kankuro was holding a tray in both hands, grinning at Gaara. "Uh. . .yes."

"Good, because if I carried this all the way to your room for no reason, I'd be annoyed." Kankuro laughed, setting the tray on the floor, dropping to the floor.

Gaara joined him, looking at the tray. Two bowls of ramen, a pot of tea, and a small plate of cakes. "Thanks."

"Sure." Kankuro picked up his bowl and started eating. He watched Gaara, who wasn't eating, but was rather staring at him. "Hey. Eat."

Gaara smiled, picking up the bowl. He slurped some of the ramen, then looked at Kankuro. "Why'd you bring this to me?"

"I don't know. I was bored." Kankuro grinned, shrugging. "Eat, would you? I worked hard on this."

"But. . .I thought that you were afraid of me."

"I. . . am. But seeing you in the rain today reminded me of when we last played in it and I thought that you might need to know someone cares about you."

"You care?" Gaara asked, cocking his head to one side.

Kankuro smiled. "Yeah. Even if I'm a bit afraid of you, I still care."

Gaara smiled, then went back to his ramen. When they were both done, Kankuro picked up the tray and started for the door. "Oh, Kankuro?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Gaara grinned. Kankuro nodded, walking out, shutting the door behind him. Gaara smiled, leaning back onto his bed, hooking his hands behind his head. Although it hadn't been long, for the few moments that Kankuro spent with him he had felt loved. And he didn't know when he would feel loved again.

&

There! R&R and tell me if you have ideas for any other chapters. . . I was thinking about going until they were a lot older. Or at least until Gaara is the fifth kazakage


	3. Chapter 3

Rain

Rain

Chapter Three

A/N: Ok. .. . so I do one TEENY little ooc moment with Gaara. Oh well. He's kinda ooc for this story, but. . .I'm trying. I'm just more used to Gaara from Shippuuden. . . he's a lot nicer in that series. Or at the end of the original Naruto. . .

Temari watched Gaara from her window. Her youngest brother was standing just outside on the balcony of the hotel they were staying in, both hands clenching the railing. Rain was pouring down on him, but he didn't seem to notice. She sighed heavily, worried about him. He had fought with Rock Lee earlier that day and he had been injured. Temari had gotten him to go to the medical ninjas, but he hadn't let them near him. He had been silent the entire time, but that was normal for him. She knew he was quiet, but at the same time, she was worried for him. He had never been injured or beaten before and now, he had almost lost. The door behind her opened and she turned a bit. Kankuro came in, dropping Crow in the corner. He joined her at watching Gaara.

"How long has he been out there?"

"About twenty minutes. I don't know whether I should go talk to him or not."

"I wonder what he's thinking. I mean, he almost lost today." Kankuro paused with a soft sigh. "I don't ever remember him getting hurt that badly. He didn't get checked by the doctor. I wonder if he's hurt."

"I don't know." Temari looked out at Gaara again. He was looking up at the sky, letting the rain fall on his face. "He's not wearing his armour. Or carrying his sand."

"Hm. That makes sense, though. He likes the feeling of rain."

"How do you know that?"

Kankuro grinned a bit. "He told me that once when he was really little. He said he likes the way the water feels on his skin. It's softer than the sand he is surrounded with."

Temari watched Gaara's expression. The thirteen year old's face had softened, the coldness fading. He looked almost. . . happy. Or at least peaceful. She smiled, then the smile fell when Gaara turned. A surprised look flashed across his face, then faded back to the cold look he wore all the time. He opened the door, walking inside, trailing water. "Gaara?"

He turned slightly, looking over at her. "Hmmm?"

"How do you feel?"

Gaara turned away from her, not responding, just heading to the bathroom. Kankuro and Temari could hear the shower running.

Temari sighed softly, dropping onto the bed. Kankuro shrugged, sitting in the corner. Temari looked over at him, then smiled. "You ok?"

"I'm worred about Gaara."

"Don't be. I'm fine." Gaara replied, walking into the room, dressed in a kimono, his damp hair sticking to his face.

Temari studied him, seeing for what seemed like the first time how young he really was. He didn't look as cold as he usually did, just withdrawn. She studied him as he passed. His red hair was plastered down, hiding the scar that he had given himself. His jawline was still soft, showing his age. His pale green eyes were full of a hidden pain. "Are you sure?"

"I'm fine." He repeated, heading to his room. Before he got out the door, however, he turned a bit. "Don't worry about me."

"I'm your older sister, Gaara. I'll always worry about you." Temari replied, surprised when he suddenly smiled a bit. The smile made his whole face change.

"Fine then. Worry, but I'm fine."

Temari smiled, watching him walk out, noticing he was limping slightly. He headed into his room, sliding the door shut behind him. Temari shook her head, smiling at the door. She turned to Kankuro, who was leaning against the wall, his hands locked behind his head, a grin on his face, his dark eyes parted slightly. "What?"

"He smiled for you. He never does that."

"I know." Termari leaned back on the bed. "I'm glad he did."

"Yeah."

The two siblings grew quiet, both lost in their own thoughts, each waiting for tomorrow, when the chunin exams would continue, each worried for their brother, hoping he would be all right.

* * *

A/N: Ok… there ya'll go. One chapter left.


	4. Chapter 4

Rain Ch. 4

Disclaimer: Sigh Dur.

A/N: Ok, so this is the last chapter in Rain. Hope ya like.

* * *

Gaara sighed as he looked at the paperwork piled on his desk. _How could so much have built up in such a little time?_ He shook his head, then went back to his paperwork. A soft tapping interrupted his work and he looked up. His door was open, no one standing outside of it. His brow wrinkled, then he looked out the window. Rain was pouring from the sky, soaking the desert town. He grinned, then stood, walking out of his office. He passed his brother's office, then stopped, turning back. "Kankuro. Come on. It's raining."

Kankuro grinned, standing. "Let's go. Shall we get Temari?"

"Yeah." Gaara led Kankuro to Temari's office. "Temari. Come with us."

"Where are we going?"

"Just come." Kankuro replied.

Temari shrugged, then followed her brothers. Gaara led them out to the balcony outside of his office, standing on it, letting the rain pour down on him.

Gaara turned his face to the dark sky, letting the rain pour down on him. He let his sand armor dribble off, landing in a pile at his feet. A small smile crossed his face at the feeling of the rain on his skin. He heard footsteps and looked over. Temari was standing next to him, grinning at him. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah." She replied, lifting her face to the rain.

Kankuro joined him, his purple makeup streaking down his face, making both Temari and Gaara laugh. "What?"

"You look like more of an idiot than you normally do." Temari laughed, glad to see Gaara smile. After all he had been through in the last few weeks, he deserved a break.

Kankuro shrugged, then swiped at his face with a wet sleeve. The makeup wiped off, leaving his face clean.

Temari smiled, looking at her two younger brothers. She realized how much they resembled each other, and how much Kankuro looked like their father. _Maybe that's why Gaara hated him so much as a child._

A peal of thunder roared through the sky and Gaara jumped, making Kankuro laugh. "I guess you've never gotten over your fear of thunder, eh, little brother?"

Gaara glared at him, then laughed a bit. "I guess not."

The rain slowly came to a stop as the sun burst through the clouds, shining down on the three siblings. A rainbow painted the sky in pastel colours and Gaara grinned, looking over at his siblings.

Kankuro reached over, ruffling Gaara's hair, making it stick up. Gaara grimaced, smoothing his hair down, laughing.

Temari laughed at their antics, then pulled them into a hug, which they both squirmed out of. "I'm glad that I have you two."

"Yeah." Gaara grew quiet. "Thank you for all you did when I was taken. I owe a lot to you both."

"Of course we'd help."

"Yeah. You're our little brother. And no matter how annoying you are, we love you."

Gaara grinned, happy to finally understand what family felt like, what it meant to be accepted and above all, what it meant to be loved.

* * *

A/N: There ya go. This is the last chapter of Rain. If you didn't figure out, it's set in Shippuuden. Gaara is Kazekage and yeah. . . go watch them if you want to know what I'm talking about. Anyway, he's a lot more laid back and really gentle in Shippuuden. If I have offended, please pardon. I hope you've enjoyed this little story, cause I really had fun writing it. I'm sorry about taking the characters ooc sometimes, but. . .in order to do what I wanted, I had to. I hope it didn't offend too much. Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoy whatever comes from me next!!


End file.
